Read a great article in the NY Times about 35 simple things to do for better overall health. My favorite is “If something feels too hard to do, it just means that the first step isn’t small enough.” Like trying to cross a river in one leap.
It can apply to emotions, too. Maybe you’re working on forgiveness for yourself or another. Break it down. Write about it until you find the first word you know to be true. It may be the hardest word of all: apologize. To offer an apology requires a whole lot of courage and a right-sizing of ego. You must get through the part where your actions were justified. Keep going. Make the first step as small as possible. Step one: say I’m sorry.
The same can be done for a project at work or around the house. Start backward from the outcome until the smallest piece is doable. Having to clean the house is too big for me. If I say, I’ll start with the bathroom sinks. Then toilet. Then countertop. Then mirrors. Floor and garbage. Done. Then, I give myself a ten-minute interlude to think about something else. Then next room. (And I almost always save the kitchen for when General Hospital is on. It is not a smaller step, but it does pair compatible with incompatible.)
Remember, you don’t have to like the first step. You just need to make it small enough that you can’t talk yourself out of it. Like apologizing or, heaven forbid, asking for help.
Give it a try. Let me know how it works for you.
Mary
P.S. I included a link to the article with many great tips, but it is behind a paywall. I apologize if you cannot view it.
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